Unfortunately, drink driving is still more socially acceptable than an adult choosing to ride a bicycle.

it's all in your appearance - fairly or not
 

A few years ago we passed a guy riding a beat up old Schwinn wearing jeans and a leather jacket. No helmet. The saddle was so low, his knees were almost 90 degrees perpendicular to his direction of travel. He wasn't exactly holding his line. I said to my wife "not riding for health". I had to explain that it seened obvious the only reason this guy was on a bike was because of a DUI. "Not riding for health" is now a standard part of our vocabulary. You can almost always pick them out, though I did see a rider this past weekend who I could not hazard a guess on.

People just ask me if my car's broken down..

Where I reside, the notion of ****** membership perhaps would be better accepted than bicycling in the public realm.


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I get that too, from co-workers. They all know I don't drink. :)

The fellow might have been poor, not a DUI.

Most people look at bikes as a form of exercise or exersion and that's it. I started doing bike riding beer runs last summer and I felt like I would be perceived as someone who got busted with a DUI (when I never have and never will). After going to the same place and being recognized as the guy who buys beer and bikes home, I was asked how far my trip was by several clerks The reactions were that I was accomplishing impossible feats of endurance....

Or he might've stolen it, hence the low saddle and splayed-out knees.

I saw on very, VERY overweight guy on a bike that was way to small for him. His knees were in the fully-splayed positions as he huffed & puffed with each revolution of the cranks - halfway and then a pause, halfway and another pause. It was painful to see this spectacle. I went past him as fast as I could. Didn't occur to me to wonder "why?" at the time. But DUI could be it. Or a thief with really poor taste and judgment.

Maybe he just realizes that he's VERY overweight and decided to try out his kid's bike before buying one for himself. I can only imagine what he might have been thinking:

"This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I can't even manage two pedal strokes in a row without taking a breath. Damm! Did you notice how fast that little ****** just rode past me? How can he do that?"

A knucklehead buddy of mine just got his fourth on Superbowl Sunday. I'm certain it will be upgraded to a felony. He's going away for a very long time. He was driving because he accepted a ride the night before and left his bike chained up outside the bar. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

30 years of drinking beer and no DUI's. 50 or so friends/acquaintences who all have at least one, five of which have been locked up for long periods over it, albeit one of them unfairly. I remind them that I can stay out late without having to find a designated driver. It's all in the dorky, rock solid stable bike with stupid looking fenders and bags and blinkie lights.

Personally, I hate the fact that it's very often all about the money. A few of these friends/acquaintences have successful businesses and/or really good jobs and if you hire a good enough lawyer, pay a big enough fine, and don't get caught very often; you get to keep your license. Get stuck with a public defender and you're effed.

+1. Some countries base the penalty on the offender's income level, not the offense. That way, the same crime hurts everyone equally.

Reminds me of an exchange I heard at Human Zoom in Philadelphia. A fellow brought in a very dusty, very old bike. "I had this in the shed since I was 12."

"It looks like it would fit a 12 year old," the mechanic said.

"How much to get it tuned up, and how long till I have it back? I want to ride as soon as possible."

"It's too small for you."

"I'm only going to use it as a commuter!"

I only know one person that bicycles because of habitual DUI… He lost his license for life in his late twenties; he is about forty nine now. The funny thing is, he rides some really junk bikes, but he rides the devil out of them. I wish I could ride half as well as he does… I would dare to say, that if he was on a comparable bike, he would probably give half the roadies on this forum a good run for their money, possibly with a beer in hand, and a cigarette in his mouth. I asked him once why he didn’t get a scooter, and he just looked at me somewhat puzzled and said; why?

Everyone else I know that ever got their license revoked because of a DUI, either just drove a car without it, and hoped that they didn’t get caught again, or they got a scooter and rode it.

I never worry about people thinking I have a DUI, because as of the writing of this post, I’m fat enough that everyone knows why I’m out riding a bike… :mad:

Hehe... sorry, but that's kinda funny... ;)

Now I'm thinking that I'd rather be mistaken for a DUI rider. At least then I'd be viewed as a partier than just another big guy.

Or maybe I could just answer, "Why am I riding everywhere? I rolled my car at the track, that's why. Go look for 'Honda wreck Watkins Glen' on Youtube."

(there's no such video, and I haven't rolled my car.. ;))

I'll have to remember that one. :D

Let's see. What could I possibly have done to my little 4x4?

Flipped it while chasing some cattle rustlers. ?